Concert to benefit booking agent Don Rooke

A large contingent of Valley musicians will gather on Saturday night to pay tribute to one of their own.

The group is calling themselves The Don Rooke Appreciation Society and they will muster on the stage of The Elevens in Northampton to honor the longtime booking agent / band manager who is recovering from a heart attack he suffered last month.

“It was the idea of John Peter Wentworth, who currently books a weekly event at the Elevens and has booked other local venues in the past,” said local artist Brian Marchese. “However, he asked me to book the talent, so I did line up all the acts. Everyone who didn’t already have a gig that night said yes immediately. Easy job.”

Marchese put together the “who’s who” of local acts for the Saturday night performance.

Fans can expect to see the likes of Steve Westfield, Treefort, Winterpills, Claudia Malibu, The Fawns, Fancy Trash, and Aloha Steamtrain, all part of an evening that will include as many as 12 acts. Henning Ohlenbusch will serve as emcee.

The flyer for the event refers to Donal Rooke as “a sweet, funny and generous man with a heart of gold and a love for local music.”

Marchese concurs with that sentiment.

“Donal Rooke is either directly or indirectly responsible for many of the most memorable things that I experienced in my first years on the Northampton scene,” he said. “Be it the Aloha Steamtrain catching on in the club and college scene all around New England and New York City, or the many great artists I saw that he booked at the Baystate, The Elevens or the various Northampton Music Fests.”

Rooke was most recently organizing and hosting the Open Mic Night at the WWII Club in Northampton. The performers are asking for a $10 donation to help offset some of Rooke’s medical costs.

“This show is both a benefit and a tribute,” Marchese said. “It is a way for his musician friends, young and not-so-young, to say thanks for the opportunities, the energy, and the fun. He helped many of us, and it’s our chance to return the favor.”

The music at the Elevens begins at 8 p.m. For those unable to attend but still interested in making a contribution, a Paypal donation site has been set up at letshelpdon.blogspot.com